Top 5 Materials to Recycle on America Recycles Day (November 15th)

This post was sponsored by the Carton Council as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Do you recycle? If not, November is the perfect month to start because the 15th is America Recycles Day! Recycling is a great way to help reduce the amount of waste going into landfills and also help conserve the earth’s precious resources. We do our best to recycle as much of our waste as possible each month. It takes a little bit of extra effort, but it’s 100% worth it in my opinion.

Did you know that the Average American generates more than four pounds of trash per day and that about 75% of that trash is actually recyclable? I hope your household is already recycling, but if not I want to encourage you to consider starting this month. If you’re unsure if your city has a recycling program, you can go to Recycle Cartons and enter your zip code to find out.

If you’re new to recycling and wondering how it all works, I’ve put together a list of the top 5 materials to consider recycling. Each city and recycling program is different, so you will want to check with your local program before you begin, but below are the most common items that are accepted.

Paper & Cardboard

Paper and cardboard are a great place to start when you are just beginning to recycle because they are so abundant! Just think about how much you go through in a week. Things like cereal boxes, magazines, office paper, junk mail, newspapers and phone books (yes, they still exist), are recycled into new items such as paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, etc.

Plastic Bottles

Plastic comes in a variety of sizes and chemical formulations, not all of which can be recycled. The best thing to do is to contact your local recycling program and ask them which types of plastic they accept. Also, make sure to clean out your plastic bottles before throwing them into the recycling bin as leftover product residue can contaminate the recycling process.

Food Cartons

Food cartons are used to package items such as soups, broths, milk, juice, nutritional shakes, water, wine and tomatoes. There are two types of food and beverage cartons, Aseptic (or shelf-stable) that are composed of 74% paper, 22% plastic and 4% aluminum and also Gable-top (or refrigerated) cartons which are composed of 80% paper and 20% plastic. When recycled, these food and beverage cartons are used to make paper products and chemical-free, environmentally friendly building materials.

Simply place your empty food and beverage cartons into your recycling bin. There is no need to rinse them. You may also leave the caps on and there is no need to crush them as they are recycled more efficiently when left in their original shape.

By recycling these food and beverage cartons, you are playing a part in reducing litter and keeping our environment more green. America Recycles Day on November 15th is a great reminder to recycle your food and beverage cartons. Click here to find out if your local recycling program accepts food and beverage cartons.

Metals

Things like aluminum soda cans, aluminum foil, and steel or tin cans, can be recycled into new metal products. Most places even have recycling centers that will pay you for your used metal giving people an extra incentive to recycle these materials. Make sure to rinse out your empty canned goods to make sure no food is left in the can.

Glass

Not all recycling programs will accept glass, so you will need to contact your local center to find out if yours does. If your local program does accept glass, they may only accept certain colors, so it’s best to discuss what is accepted with your local recycling program. Glass is recycled into new glass products.

If you aren’t recycling already, I hope you will consider contacting your local recycling program to see what is accepted and start participating very soon. Remember that November 15th is America Recycles Day, making this month the perfect time to start recycling and doing your part in conserving our earth’s precious resources.

We moved to a rural community in 2017, and I am surprised at how much more difficult it is to recycle out here than in the city! Our HOA makes everyone in the neighborhood use the same waste management company (which offers no curbside recycling) and there are no drop-off centers anywhere in the area. I hope this changes soon! In the meantime, I have tried to find other ways to reduce my garbage. Composting is a great way to use up raw kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells. We get milk in glass bottles, and we carry reusable bags to any store we shop at. I also donate all shipping and packing materials to a lady in my community who runs an eBay business. I order tons of bulk goods online for my large family, so I get LOTS of boxes, bubble wrap, etc. each month. If any of y'all out there are struggling with the lack of recycling services in your area, don't worry! You will find ways to do it in your neighborhood, even if they are slightly unconventional. 😃